“Oroonoko” is a work by the first professional female writer in the history of English literature. Aphra Behn, who is also an important innovator in the novel form, used a narrative voice that combined closeness to her readers with an unusual richness of detail, while the plot itself involves one of the earliest examples of the concept of the “noble savage ” in literature. His female characters in the novel are quite interesting to analyze in terms of their status, character and role in the development of events. However, these characters have been relatively sidelined in feminist literary studies due to their portrayal in a sexual manner, while critics focus on Behn's biography and her place in literary history (Jung, 2002). The white female narrator of the text is the main character that feminist scholars or other critics focus on to analyze the positive representation of women. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayAs mentioned above, the narrator of the story in “Oroonoko” is the main interest for readers and critics who are analyzing the concept of gender roles from a positive perspective. This white narrator is none other than the writer: Aphra Behn. The black female character in the story – Imoinda – is depicted as a woman who men are interested in because of her beauty and that is why she is less interesting to those who support women's rights, but the narrator on the other hand is considered noble, elite and intellectual in the minds of readers. The fact that the narrator is Aphra Behn is another key influence to sympathize with her because we already know something about her life to describe her as the intellectual and noble woman of the play. Behn also appears as a character in the second part of the story, which takes place in Suriname. The fact that Behn uses his own name in the novel has long raised the question of whether the story can be considered autobiographical or not, considering the fact that “Oroonoko” is based on a true story. (KLEIN, 1929). This opened a debate among several researchers on the veracity of the events reported and also on the accuracy of the information provided on the inhabitants of Suriname, its fauna and flora. Some critics were satisfied with Behn's work, while others did not consider it a true story and called the author a liar because he represented fiction as truth. The fact that the Behns lived in Suriname does not automatically mean that the story should be interpreted entirely as truth. Before starting Oroonoko's story, the narrator says that she is an eyewitness to much of the story and, however, sometimes the depiction of some characters' outward appearance and nature make it difficult for the reader to see "Oroonoko" as a true story.Behn examines the difference between men and women and explores their rights. Its strong female protagonists are in constant search of female power. They struggle to deal with male authority and desire to have their own authority. We also see weak and powerless female characters living lives of low status, due to their gender. The presence of both types of women gives readers a chance to come to a conclusion about the overall status of women in the entire story. This is why the story of Oroonoko or the Royal Slave is one of the main references for feminist writers. In the first part of the story, the author gives us a very detailed description of the external appearance of the protagonist – Oroonoko. But the description of Imoinda's is only given to us in one sentence when we meet her forthe first time: “a beauty that to truly describe it is enough to say that she was female for the noble male, the beautiful black Venus for our young Mars, as charming in her person as he is and of delicate virtues” (p12). It seems that Imoinda only serves as the female equivalent of the magnificent Oroonoko. I, as a reader, knew what Oroonoko looked like thanks to the detailed description of her characteristics; but when it came to Imoinda, I had to rely on my imagination to create the image of a beautiful woman. However, later in the text, we see a sentimental description of Imoinda. Her “adorable modesty”, “the softness of her gaze”, “the sweetness of her words and behavior” fit the traditional emotional role of women. Sometimes Behn describes Imoinda in a way that would suit a European woman. The use of words such as "the beautiful queen of the night" is seen as a contradiction when it comes to exploring racial characteristics. We also see a similar contrast in the description of Oroonoko, when the author describes her nose as “up and Roman,” and her hair as “straight.” So, the physical representation of these two characters is not necessarily African or European, but the mixture of both. Even though Imoinda represents the ideal of the white woman, her body is strongly linked to African culture. His body serves as a symbol of his ethnic culture due to the added markings on his skin. These signs symbolize his higher social position. Only privileged Africans could be decorated with carved flowers and birds. The following passage of the text explains it well (44): “It may therefore be imagined that we paid her triple respect, and although, as she was carved in beautiful flowers and birds all over her body, we considered her of quality, yet when we learned that Clemene was Imoinda we could not admire her enough. I must have forgotten to tell you that those who are nobles born of that country are so delicately cut and razed all over the front part of the trunk, that it seems as if they were Japanese, with the works raised as a highlight around the edges of the flowers.” With the help of these descriptions, we can see that Imoinda belonged to a high social status. Then, due to her attractive beauty and the king's interest in her, her social status decreased due to being sold into slavery. Her extraordinary beauty is one of the most important factors in the story. In my opinion it is “the” primary factor in the development of events. Her feminine beauty was the cause of the conflict between the king and Oroonoko, the downfall of Imoinda herself, and also the reason for Oroonoko's self-destruction in the end. In most stories dealing with love and conflict, female beauty is the main cause of downfall as it leads to sexual desire and jealousy. The same things happen to Oroonoko too. Furthermore, the relationship between an uncle and his nephew is damaged by the former's interest in the latter's beloved. From a humanistic point of view, this is quite disturbing and difficult to accept. I think this type of conflict is the main moral problem that humanity should avoid. The portrayal of the female body as a sexual object in Behn's work is initially quite disappointing, but later readers' feelings may be neutralized when Imoinda begins to struggle to deal with the king. As soon as she was brought to King's Otan, her status was no different from that of a slave as she was controlled and hidden from her true beloved. Imoinda was trying to control her body and save it for Oroonoko; however this fact is demotivating for feminists due to the importance given to the woman's "body". According to historian Barbara Bush, “women's control over theone's body was undoubtedly an important area of ​​struggle involving power relations at the most basic level. Power over women was exercised through the control of their sexuality, a form of oppression rarely experienced in the same way by enslaved men.” Reading Oroonoko, we can see that Behn plays with conventional gender roles. Some characters often possess some qualities of the opposite sex. It is evident throughout the story how gender stereotypes alternate with gender inversions. Oroonoko is both characterized by his virile actions and his feminine traits (1999, Nevstold). He is presented as a brave man, for example winning wars in Coromantien, winning fights with huge tigers in Suriname and so on. He is not afraid of anything and deliberately seeks danger to prove himself and to test his strength and power. His masculinity is briefly described in the following passage (46): “He had a spirit all harsh and fierce, and which could not be tamed to lazy repose; and although all efforts were used to practice actions and sports offered by this world, such as running, wrestling, throwing the bar, hunting and fishing, chasing and killing tigers of monstrous dimensions. inhuman strength, we also see her feminine side. According to Behn's description, she has long hair and a feminine bob. Additionally, she also acts “like a long-suffering romantic heroine.” Oroonoko is represented as a tender and sentimental man, qualities typical of women. He expresses his feelings without shame and is not afraid of his sentimental side. The way he speaks is sweet and passionate, which shows that he is quite an emotional man. “While Oroonoko felt all the agonies of love, and suffered under the most painful torment in the world.” Oroonoko does not appear to feel pain when he cuts himself and is tortured to death; however he cannot bear the tormenting pain when he is afraid of losing Imoinda. Imoinda, on the other hand, has masculine features and delicate beauty. He is at Oroonoko's side in the fight against the white slave owners. Although she is pregnant, she joins her husband in a fight. Imoinda is described as a courageous woman and trusts Oroonoko blindly. She is good at using a bow and arrow and manages to hurt several people. He even inflicts a mortal wound on the governor with a manly weapon like a poisoned arrow. His masculinity is also shown at the end when he rationally accepts the fact that he has to die and does not respond emotionally to Oroonoko's proposal. We can say that Imoinda is a strong character both psychologically and physically. In the first part of the novel, the reader may have difficulty developing sympathy for her, but in later events we can see that Imoinda is truly a powerful character. It is essential to explore Imoinda's role as property through marriage. Also. In the novel, the important reason why two people meet is love; however, in African culture, marriage to a beautiful woman was a symbol of status and this is why so many men attempt to possess Imoinda. Being property through slavery is obviously much more difficult than the first. When a woman is sold into slavery, she is deprived of any personal rights to her own body. They knew that if they stood up to their owners, the punishment would be more horrible than doing hard labor on the plantation or becoming the owners' mistresses. It was mentioned before that the narrator was seen as an elitist and primary motivator for feminists, but he is rather powerless compared to Imoinda in the story. The narrator is absent in two crucial moments: the first, when Oroonoko is brutally whipped. Secondly, when he is tortured a)